Introduction

Full GNU/Linux Desktop installed in 20 minutes flat!No more excuses for running W--dows!

Knoppix is a remarkable Linux
'demo' distribution, in that it can run totally from a CD, without
disturbing any existing software or disks on the system it's running on.

Even better, Knoppix can auto-detect hardware as it starts up, and
does quite a good job of configuring this hardware.

And still better, Knoppix is chock-full of the best desktop software
which GNU/Linux has to offer - office software, games, productivity
suites, software development tools, multimedia - you name it!

After seeing a Knoppix demo, many users decide that they'd like to
have Knoppix permanently installed on their system. This HOWTO gives a
simple step-by-step guide to putting Knoppix on the hard disk, with the
added bonus that it will run faster from then on.

This guide covers a couple of obvious points which are strangely
missing from the Knoppix website, and will help you to go from first
boot to a fully set up GNU/Linux desktop in 20 minutes flat!

Installation Procedure

When the boot prompt comes up, choose your language.
Most of us speak English, so we'll type:

boot: knoppix lang=en

then press ENTER (you don't type the 'boot:' part, of course)

Wait till the system is fully launched, including the KDE desktop

Press CTRL-ALT-F1, to get a root console. You should see
a shell prompt

Type: knx-hdinstall

Follow the guided installation menus. This will include:

Creating a Linux partition (at least 2.5GB

Creating a Linux Swap partition (at least 256MB)

'Mounting' the Linux partition as root

Initialising the swap partition

Copying all the required files (automatically)

Setting up networking

Setting passwords

Setting up the bootloader (Note: take care with this stage
- it could render your system incapable of booting into Windows. If you
really need Windows, then it might be a good idea to set up GRUB Bootloader
with a 'chainloader' entry, so that you can dual
boot. Working this out is an exercise left to the reader - there
are too many possible scenarios for me to cover in this short guide.
Also see man grub and the files in /usr/share/doc/grub)

Rebooting (without the CD)

When you've rebooted Knoppix from your hard disk, click on the KDE
Control Centre icon in the launcher at the bottom of the screen
(icon of a colour monitor with a card in front of it)

Within the Control Center, click on Personliche Einstellungen

Click on Land und Sprache

Choose the locale and language of your choice

Click on Andwenden at bottom of that window

Close and restart the Control Center

Click on Peripherals, then Keyboard, and choose
your preferred keyboard layout (which will probably be US.English.
Click OK and close the window

Press CTRL-ALT-F2 to get to the root console, and log in
as root (using the password you chose when you ran the installer)

(Optional) - type apt-get update (followed by ENTER).
This will update your list of available packages, and takes about 5-10
minutes.

Hey, presto, you've got a fully installed GNU/Linux desktop

From here on in, you'll probably want to fine-tune a few things, set
up themes, backgrounds etc. But most of the hard work is already done
for you!

And lastly, note that Knoppix is based on Debian, which is arguably the finest
GNU/Linux infrastructure available. To learn more about your system,
and how to add/change/remove software, go to the Debian website and
read the documents. If you get really stuck, start up X-Chat
and log into irc.debian.org or irc.openprojects.net and
join channel #knoppix. That is one busy chat room, with Debian
Linux experts present 24/7, willing to help. Please also know that,
even though Knoppix is based on the Debian distribution, your enquiries
in #debian may not be welcomed.

What is Linux?

Linux, or more correctly, GNU/Linux, is an operating system that runs
on most known types of computers, including (of course) the popular
Intel-based PCs that most people use, and Macintoshes, right up to
large mainframes and supercomputers.

GNU/Linux is sweeping rapidly throughout the computer world, from
individual users through to small companies, large corporations and
government departments.

GNU/Linux is based on Open Source software - software for which the
source code is freely available. The license conditions for OSS allow
you to view and modify the software, and share your changes freely.

Amongst the many advantages of OSS are:

Price - total cost of ownership of GNU/Linux based systems is
less than half that of proprietary systems like Windows. Often, it's
even a quarter or less.

Security - GNU/Linux systems are far less vulnerable to crackers
than proprietary systems.

Versatility - with GNU/Linux, you have the freedom to mix and
match software as you choose, also to change any software as you see
fit.

Transparency - with the source code available, you can satisfy
yourself that your programs are not doing anything undesirable without
your consent (not always true for proprietary Windows systems - for
example, Windows keeps secret records of everything you do on your
computer)

Empowerment - with GNU/Linux, no company can gradually encroach
onto your rights and privacy.

GNU/Linux has advanced to the point where most moderately-skilled
computer users can convert their systems to GNU/Linux, without losing
any of their old Windows-based data.

There are thousands of excellent websites relating to GNU/Linux around
the world. I list just a few of them here: